Russia Defies UN Sanctions To Arm North Korea With High-Speed Pantsir Defence System: Report

Last Updated:May 30, 2025, 14:52 IST

Russia's overt flouting of the arms embargo is one thing but to actively help North Korea improve missile precision, that crosses a dangerous line, a diplomat in Seoul said

The Pantsir is tactical system, designed for short-range defence, and has an effective engagement envelope of 1.2 to 20 kilometres. (AP Photo)

In a revelation that could rattle global diplomatic circles, a leaked international monitoring report has exposed a surge in the covert military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, in direct violation of longstanding sanctions by the United Nations. The findings, published by a multilateral task force headquartered in Seoul on Thursday, alleged that Russia transferred advanced air defence systems, electronic warfare gear, and other military hardware to North Korea in recent months.

According to the report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), established after Russia vetoed the extension of the UN’s own North Korea expert panel last year, the Russian military has delivered the Pantsir-S1 mobile air defence systems to North Korea since November 2024. These systems, armed with high-speed surface-to-air missiles and autocannons, are designed to intercept enemy aircraft and missiles at short range. The report claimed that this hardware is the same Pantsir platform deployed to defend Russian airspace against drone and missile threats.

The Pantsir is tactical system, designed for short-range defence, and has an effective engagement envelope of 1.2 to 20 kilometres.

The MSMT’s report also detailed on the arms pipeline between Russia and North Korea. Since September 2023, North Korea is believed to have shipped roughly 20,000 containers of military supplies to Russia. The cache reportedly includes more than 90 lakh artillery shells, hundreds of tactical missiles, and other munitions – enough to sustain multiple brigades on the front lines in Ukraine.

The report claimed that Russian aircrafts, specifically Ilyushin IL-76 and Antonov AN-124 strategic airlifters, were used between November and December 2023 to transport North Korean arms. Russia also reportedly assisted North Korea in enhancing its missile guidance technologies, a serious breach of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions that Russia itself once endorsed.

Russia’s overt flouting of the arms embargo is one thing but to actively help North Korea improve missile precision, that crosses a dangerous line, a diplomat in Seoul said under condition of anonymity.

Beyond weapons, the MSMT report also accused Russia of flooding North Korea with crude oil in excess of UN-mandated limits. More than 10 lakh barrels were reportedly transferred last year, double the permitted quota. Meanwhile, roughly 8,000 North Korean labourers, whose overseas deployments are banned under UN rules, were reportedly dispatched to Russia.

The report alleged that the two nations were routing financial transactions through South Ossetia, a Russia-backed breakaway region of Georgia known for its questionable banking practices.

The MSMT was formed in October 2024 by the United States and South Korea in response to the collapse of the UN’s expert monitoring panel. The new coalition includes 11 countries including France, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany, and aims to preserve transparency and accountability over the enforcement of sanctions on North Korea.

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News world Russia Defies UN Sanctions To Arm North Korea With High-Speed Pantsir Defence System: Report